I nodded a thank you and retreated into the hall.
"Best be swift though," he called. "Our plane leaves in a couple of hours.”
It was right then that it struck me. I was really leaving. And not only that, but my life was going to be completely different than it had been for the first fifteen years of my life. A feeling that I couldn't understand came over me. Tears threatened this time, but I resisted, summoning back the numbness.
I showered quickly, changing into the blue jeans and pink t-shirt that Duncan had bought for me. Nathan laughed out loud when he saw the fairy princess on the front. “Grandpa she’s fifteen, not five!”
Duncan shrugged.
Duncan, Nathan, and I loaded up in a large black SUV, with Jake and Eddy following in an old pickup truck. I watched the little wooden cabin until it disappeared from view. I tried to keep my thoughts on the present, but it was hard. I found them drifting between my scary and unknown future as a witch (which hadn’t truly sunk in) or to the fact that a large percent of my heart might forever be unavailable to anyone.
We arrived at the airport in West Columbia much quicker than I would have thought. The tickets must have been really expensive because we didn’t have to wait in any lines and were rushed past the baggage check. Within five minutes of arriving we were all seated aboard a small plane and in twenty minutes we were lifting off.
“Man am I glad we’re outta the woods,” breathed Nathan from the seat immediately to my right. He caught me staring at him. “Sorry," he followed. "I didn’t mean it like that."
I turned back to the window and stared down at the vast green forests and yellowed fields. When my mother and I moved here, it had seemed like the land that time forgot. I couldn't believe that she was making us live out in the middle of nowhere. Any semblance of civilization was miles away. There were only those fields and trees to look at on my way to school, and I just knew that all of my classmates would wear overalls and be missing teeth. And yet, my time here was the happiest of my life, even with the rules I was too stupid to understand. I closed my eyes and pictured my mother's face. I thought about the good times, and despite being in the overwhelming minority, there were some. She'd finally got me hooked on soap operas this summer; we would take turns shouting at Billy for cheating on adorable Bethany like they were people we really knew. She refused to believe that I was the lost cause in the kitchen that I constantly proved myself to be. I totally owned her in Monopoly...
I missed her. That and the guilt seemed to be the only emotions strong enough to penetrate the emptiness. She'd been willing to lay down her life for mine, and that trumped everything else. I laid my head back into the seat and closed my eyes. “I love you mom, and I'm so sorry.” And in that moment, again fighting tears, I decided that no matter what the future held for me, I’d be my own woman and make my own decisions, just like she would have wanted. I just prayed that she was out there somewhere.
The sun was setting when the plane finally touched down, defiantly hurling up streaks of purple and orange as the night pushed it away. Like something out of the movies, a man stood waiting for us in the lobby with a large sign that read “ANASTASIA.” He led us outside where another large black SUV was waiting. As Duncan and Nathan loaded my luggage into the back of the truck, I caught the man staring at my eyes. He looked away, and then sheepishly turned back and bowed.
“I’m sorry ma’am, haven’t ever seen a grey eyed heir in person.”
“It’s okay,” I said again.
I was silent for most of the ride. I probably should have been nervous, but I wasn't. I certainly had reasons to be. What if my grandmother hated me? Then I'd leave. What if plain old me didn’t fit into this strange world of witches and royalty? Then I'd leave. What if this whole thing was going to be one big disaster? Again, I'd leave. I didn't owe my grandmother anything.
As we merged onto the interstate a sudden calm fell over my body. It felt good. I took a look around the truck and found Nathan looking entirely too innocent to be trusted. I mouthed a thank you and he grinned.
By the time we’d turned off the interstate, the night had completely settled in. It was blue and cloudless, and the brilliance of the twinkling sky gave me something else to focus on. But that was only for a short time. As soon as we passed the small sign that read “Welcome to Brighton,” I had an entirely new set of wonders to look upon. Huge mansions began to flank the thin two lane highway. Sweeping grounds—much better suited for Hollywood than any part of Massachusetts I thought—swept into and out of view behind large gates. Expansive gardens were all lit up and looked like rainbows laid flat against the ground. I could only stare, while everyone else in the truck got their enjoyment from watching my reactions to the estates, each one seeming to top the last in sheer extravagance.
The truck began to slow. Now I felt nervous. The driver clicked on the truck’s inside lights and found me in the rearview mirror. “Welcome to your new home, 'The Gardens of Wintre.'”
The truck turned onto a paved black driveway that twisted out of sight. Flanking the driveway were high bushes, all squared off at the top, which blocked all views of the grounds. We followed the driveway, listening to Duncan go on about how excited everyone would be to meet me. Once we reached a small part in the tall hedges, the truck came to a stop. A silver-barred gate guarded a thin granite walkway which too twisted out of sight.
The driver hopped outside of the truck and rushed to my door. He pulled it open and bowed again. “After you, princess.”
I stepped shakily out of the truck, and waited nervously for Duncan and Nathan to join me. They didn’t move.
“Only a member of the family may enter through this entrance, ma’am,” the driver explained.
I glanced back into the truck at Duncan. “You’ll be fine,” he assured me. “She’s expecting you.”
I gave him an unsure nod and then turned for the gate. The truck moved off down the lane and I was alone. Taking deep breaths, the thought occurred to me that the gate might be locked, that I could be stuck out here looking silly for hours… Thankfully, it opened by itself after only a few seconds of worrying. I took one anxious step at a time until I was close enough that I could lean my head around the bushes. What I saw took my breath away.
It was beautiful. Beyond beautiful.
And enormous, seeming to stretch on forever. What seemed like a hundred pillars separated even more windows, and the way the ground lights hit the glittering white surface of its exterior, it was as if the very building itself was glowing, as bright as any of the stars above.
Once I’d remembered where and who I was again, I started down the thin walkway that led up to the building. As extravagant as it was, it was even more intimidating, and I spent the entire trip up to the arched entrance staring at my own two feet.
I stood in front of the large glass door in silent awe before another fear took root. Was I supposed to knock? I didn’t see a doorbell. I raised my hand to knock but quickly pulled it back down. I was not going to be the idiot who knocked on a glass door. Thankfully, just then, a figure emerged on the other side. The door slid away and a kind faced old woman smiled tenderly.
“My dear Anastasia, welcome home.”
Chapter 5
Memories
“Are you my grandmother?” I felt pretty silly having to ask.
“Oh no, dear," she replied in a delicate voice. "I am merely the keeper of the house. Your grandmother waits for you in her study. Shall I show you inside?”
Butterflies took flight in my stomach. “S-sure,” I stuttered.
The woman smiled and stepped aside, giving me my first view of the interior of the mansion. It was enormous, this main room, and probably bigger than any of the houses I’d ever lived in. The floor glistened as though permanently wet, and tall, very old looking paintings hung from the walls. Up from the center of the room rose twin staircases that bent away from one another and met a higher floor which overlooked this room. Maids had gathered near the
railing there and were whispering busily to one another. I pretended not to notice.
“Come on dear, don’t be shy.”
I stepped inside and immediately the smell of something sweet touched my nose. It was familiar, I’d smelled it before, but at that moment I couldn’t place it. The old woman slid the glass door shut behind me and then placed her hand on my shoulder.
“It is good to see you well after all these years. My name is Helena. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call on me.”
“Um, thanks.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“Come now, your grandmother has been very anxious since last night. She’ll be wanting very much to see that you’re well.”
The woman hurried into a hall off of the main room and I did my best to keep up. She was much faster than she looked. Painted portraits lined the first portion of the hall, abruptly followed by a succession of black and white photographs and then colored ones of increasing quality. I took them in as best I could while trying not to lose track of Helena, but stopped cold when I saw my own face. I’d never had a picture taken in my whole life. My mother wouldn’t allow it. The photograph was just short of the double doors at the end of the hall and when Helena noticed I’d stopped, she turned back to join me in front of it.
“Is that me?” I asked.
“No dear. That is your aunt, Aleksandra. I did not want to seem rude by mentioning the resemblance when I greeted you at the door, but it is rather uncanny. When I saw you last, you were but a baby in your diapers, and I thought then that you looked incredibly like your mother. Now, it seems to me that you have inherited much more from your aunt than just her eyes.”
I stared at the photograph a moment longer. “I’d say.”
At her insistence, I left the photograph and turned for the large wooden doors that ended the hall. Helena gave a light tap and a voice called, but I couldn’t make out exactly what was said. Helena pushed open the doors and then smiled back at me, waving for me to follow.
I entered what appeared to be a very small library. Bookcases filled the right side of the room, leaving only space enough for a small fireplace. A large wooden desk stood immediately to my left and it was there that a very old woman sat. Her face was damp and her hands were sweeping what appeared to be photographs off of the desk and into a drawer.
“I present the princess, Anastasia Aleksandra Adams of the Rasputin line, rightful heir of Merline, the first,” Helena announced.
My grandmother smiled brightly, unaware that her moist red eyes were betraying her show of joy. I smiled back, though I wondered if my own smile was as transparent.
“Leave us please,” my grandmother said to Helena with a dismissive wave of her hand. Helena bowed and ducked back into the hall, shutting the doors behind her.
My grandmother stared at me for a moment. I tried not to meet her eyes.
“Duncan’s description of you was accurate, indeed,” she began. “Had I not lost Aleksandra so many years ago, I might assume you were her daughter, and not Natalya’s.”
I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to react. Sure, we looked alike, but it wasn’t like I knew why. “Yeah,” I said looking down, “I saw her picture in the hall.”
She smiled with just her lips. “Tis a running account of all the heirs of the Rasputin royal line. Your picture will be added soon enough…”
Her smile faded and she shook her head. “Please allow me to apologize formally for my not greeting you properly. I should have met you at the door and shown you around myself. There should be celebrations to mark your return to Wintre, but I’m afraid the reason you’re here has dealt this old woman a rather cruel blow. It is a pain that I would wish on no woman that she should live to see both of her children pass on before her. Alas…there is solace in fact that the Rasputin line persists…and in my being granted one last chance to raise a daughter who will not grow up to resent me.”
She reached her hand into the drawer and pulled out a photograph, which she laid flat on the table. It was a picture of two small girls in fancy little dresses of red and green, both smiling and hugging one another. She smiled again, and let a tear fall. “Tis how I will always remember them.”
It had been my full intent to dislike this woman. I had set my mind upon it. And yet, standing here alone with her, with my own eyes welling up, I could think of nothing else to do but to run around the desk and hug her. And that’s exactly what I did.
It was a long time before either of us thought of letting go, but when the time did come, she kissed my cheek and said, “Go and rest now child, I’m sure you’re weary after today’s travels. Sleep peacefully with the knowledge that no vampires can overcome the old magicks that protect Brighton, and seals them out. We shall have a proper reunion in the morning.”
She smiled and clapped her hands and Helena came through the door, wiping her eyes.
“It seems that our years together have still not completely cured you of your spying, have they Helena?” my grandmother asked, laughing hoarsely.
Helena shook her head and continued to wipe her face. “I shall show Anastasia to her room now.”
"Wait," I said, turning back to my grandmother. "You should know that there is still a chance that she's alive. It's what I'm hoping."
She bowed her head for a moment, and then smiled up at me from her desk. "Let us hope then."
Helena touched my shoulder and I turned to follow, hurrying after her again, this time up some stairs and through an ornately decorated sitting room, across an enormous ballroom, up more stairs and finally into a deserted hall. The air up here was stale.
“This was your mother’s and aunt’s wing of the house. There are four bedrooms in all up here. Sadly, your mother’s room was emptied after the…disagreement, but your aunt’s room remains untouched if you would prefer it. Or, if you would like a room all your own, there are two guest rooms a bit further—“
“I’ll take my aunt’s room.”
Helena nodded. “It is an excellent choice. The best views of the gardens and decorative hedges that lie behind the main house can be seen from there.”
Helena showed me through the second door on the short hall, and I felt my jaw drop. The far wall was made completely of glass, with a slender glass door at its center, leading out onto a wide balcony. The side walls were dark red like velvet with golden accents along the corners and baseboards. A bed capable of swallowing me up whole took up the entire right portion of the room, and to my left were a comfy looking sofa, a piano, a small desk and chair, two doors, and a long chest of drawers over which a wide mirror stood. Looking into that mirror now, I could see Helena over my shoulder, chuckling at my disbelief. This room was amazing.
The only thing out of place was me. It didn't feel natural to have so much. Helena touched my shoulder again, seeming to sense my concerns. “It is yours now. This is the life you were born to lead."
I nodded hesitantly.
"I’ll leave you to your rest, then. Sweet dreams, Anastasia.”
After discovering that one of the doors led to a large walk-in closet, and the other to a bathroom the size of my old bedroom, I went over to the enormous bed and let myself fall backwards into it. “I’m a witch,” I said out loud. I found myself laughing at the thought of it. I said it again, this time in a serious manner. It felt even more surreal. Like at any moment people were going to jump from behind the curtains with cameras to surprise me, to say that this was all a joke…
If only it were. My mood sobered as my thoughts turned to my mother and aunt. Desperate not to focus on the fact that they could both be dead, I tried instead to think about their time here. What must it have been like to grow up in a place like this? How did it feel to have a sister? I’d barely had friends. But then, that was because of her. Because she was trying to protect me, I quickly reminded myself. But why not give me a say? Why not let me make the decision for myself? Wasn't that why she took me in the first place? To keep me from being controlled by someone e
lse? I could feel the old emotions returning, the frustrations settling back into place, but I quickly pushed them all away. She deserved better than that from me.
My eyes had just begun to shut when the creak of a moving door jolted them open. I stood up and searched the room with my eyes. No one was here. I went over and pulled the closet door shut and then returned to the bed, this time pulling back the covers, when the noise sounded again.
“Hello? Is anyone in here?”
No one replied.
Again, it was the closet door that had mysteriously opened on its own. This time I went inside to investigate. Something moved past the door.
I stuck my head back into the bedroom and scanned the room again. Nothing.
“Okay, now you’re really cracking up, Ana. Ghosts too?” I shook the crazy thoughts from my head and returned to the bed. Only, it wasn’t how I’d left it. Sitting on top of the covers was a thin leather bound book with a clasp. Okay, so there was no way it could have gotten there by itself. I turned and looked around the room. “Is somebody in here?” I called. Still no answer. I sat down on the bed, carefully undid the clasp, and then lifted up the cover.
The Private Diary of Lexy
Natalya, if you read any of these pages your eyeballs will fall out!
Was this my aunt’s diary? But how did it get here? There was only one other page intact, the rest had all been ripped out. I flipped the first page over and began to read.
October 12
Dear Diary,
Do you believe in love at first sight? Well I do. I saw a boy that was impossibly handsome yesterday afternoon while I was visiting the theater with my mother. He was two rows down from us and he just sort of turned around as I took my seat. He stared at me for only a few seconds, but I felt my heart stop. He never turned around again after that, though I could hardly stop staring at the back of his head, and he left the theater before the show ended. I wanted to go after him, but I knew my mother would never approve of my leaving during the middle of a performance for any reason. So I spent the rest of the day thinking about what might have been.
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